Foreign Policy Of The Tsars Flashcards
Geographical factors
Territory: Russia covers more than 1/8 of earth surface
Rich natural resources
Huge territories in Europe and Asia
High population
Climate: most of the land is inhospitable
Long and cold winters short hot summers
Soil, rivers and ports are frozen for most of the year
Various vegetation zones
Most of the population lives in Europe
Southernmost part of Russia is in the Caucasus
Hard to extract resources due to harsh climate
Russian Expansion
Various explanations
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Geography:Vastness and openness of Russian territories, absence of ice free ports
Russian regime: despotism and autocracy at home results in expansionism abroad, nobody questioned the decisions of the tsars, nature of Russian diplomacy: more secretive, suspicious and hostile to western countries
International system: Lack of desire to be subject to balance of power limitations, constant shift between Europe and Asia, whenever Russia is constrained in Europe it turns to Asia
Ideology: Moscow as third Rome Autocracy, Othodoxy, Nationalism Pan - Slavism Co
Roots of Russia
Eastern Slavic tribes starts to settle in Western Russia between 3 rd and 7 th centuries
Scandinavian Norsemen (Viking’s)establish the first Russian state in 860
988 Kiev Rus takes Orthodox Christanity from Byzantyne Empire under Prince Vladimir the Great
1238 mongols invaded Kiev Rus
Russian princes pay tribute to Mongol state of Golden horde for 240 years
Principality of Moscow starts to grow stronger in 14th century ( Prince Alexander Nevsky)
1380 Moscow defeats Tartars in the Battle of Kulikovo
1480 Ivan the Great ends the Tartar rule over Moscow and starts to bring together the Russian lands under his rule
Foreign policy of the Tsars 1462 -1584
Ivan III 1462-1505:
End of Mongols domination of Russia
Collection Russian lands under Moscow leadership
Wars with polish kingdom
Territorial expansion for rewarding his followers
First Russian ruler using the title tsar
Son vasily III continued the policy of expansion
Ivan the terrible IV 1533 — 1584 Strong central rule at home and expansionism Autocracy is consolidated Expansion into non Russian territory’s Wars against Poland, Crimea and Sweden First victories in sweden Moscow was occupied by Poland Years of turmoil time of trouble
F.o.t.T. 1613 - 1676
Mikhail Romanov and his son Alexei 1613-1676
Successful war against Poland taking back of the ancient Russian capital of Kiev
Peter the Great I 1689 1725 Wars against Sweden,ottomans, Fersia and China Great northern war with Sweden Campaigns to take Azov from Ottomans Treaty of Nerchinsk with China Russia turns into an empire Westernisation reforms
Catherine II the Great 1762-1796
Active foreign policy and territorial expansion
More than two thirds of Poland join Russia
Azov and Crimea taken from Otoman empire
Russia becomes major European power
F.o.t.T. 1801 -1855
Alexander I 1801 - 1825
Defeats Napoleon and is known as savior of Europe
A major actor in the Congress of Vienna of 1815
Finnland, Bessarbia, Baku and Georgia join Russian empire
Foundation of Holy Alliance with the monarchs of Europe against ideas of French Revolution
Nicolas I 1825 1855
Decembrist revolt in 1825 liberal ideas
Autocracy, orthodoxy, nationalism policy
Suppressed the Hungarian revolt in 1849 to help Habsburg Empire
Aggressive policy against the Ottomans to gain control of Istanbul and Turkish straits
Died in the middle of the Crimean war in 1855
FodT 1855 1880
Alexander II 1855–1881
Crimean War 1853-1856
First signs of Russia’s economic and military decline
Black Sea becomes neutral, ottomans join concert of Europe
Reforms at home abolition of serfdom
Russia turns to Assia, expands into China and Central Asia
1885 Russian - British spheres of influence drawn in Afghanistan
Advances into North America Alasca
1870 influence of pan slavism
1877 1878 Russian Ottoman war
Treaty of san Stefano: almost all Balkan nations become independent, Russia dominant power in balkans
Treaty of Berlin: san Stefano is revised and Serbian and Bulgarian nationalism kept under control
FodT 1881-1894
Alexander the III 181-1894
Balance of power, secret diplomacy and shifting alliances
Bismarcks nightmare a Russian French alliance against Germany
Three Emperors League with Germany and Austria Hungary 1881-1887
Reinsurance Treaty with Germany
Bismarck dismissed by Kaiser Wilhelm in 1890
Wilhelms world politic alienates Russia
Support Austria in the Balkans
1893 Russian french alliance treaty
FodT 1894 -1917
Nicholas II 1894-1917
Russian expansion into East Asia brings it in confrontations with Japan
1891 Trans Sibirian Railway Project Starts
1902 British Japanese alliance
1905 Russia is defeat the war with Japan
Russian revolution 1905
Russia becomes a constitutional monarchy
Russian British treaty 1907
Russian- Austria rivalry triggered First World War
First World War
Russia was more powerful than the other states in terms of its population, army, industrial outputs, railways and oil
Yet it was powerful and weak at the same time
Industry was based on food and textiles
Output was very low
80% of population worked in agriculture
Citizens received less income than European states
Foreign dept was the largest in the world
Nicholas II was a weak leader
